EFFEKT wraps student housing in Denmark with red accordion-like facade
A zigzagging facade of sit-in bay windows defines Harmonikahusene, a pair of curved housing blocks for students and young professionals in Frederiksberg, Denmark, by architecture studio EFFEKT.
Named Harmonikahusene, or The Accordion Houses, after their concertinaed exteriors, the blocks were created for developer Nrep to provide 519 student flats and 158 apartments alongside communal facilities for residents and locals.
Copenhagen-based EFFEKT took cues from the red-brick buildings common in Frederiksberg for the reddish-brown shade of the buildings, achieved with a mixture of coloured aluminium and glossy fluted ceramic tiles.
"Although the project adds a significant number of homes – increasing Frederiksberg's population by almost one per cent – we're proud of how every gesture is carefully tuned to its context," EFFEKT co-founder Tue Hesselberg Foged told Dezeen.
"We translated the traditional red brick of Frederiksberg into custom-designed red glazed ceramic tiles, creating a lightweight facade that allows the bay windows to function successfully," he added.
"It's a contemporary reinterpretation of the grand historic buildings along Åboulevard, making the architecture feel tactile, generous, and grounded."
Harmonikahusene comprises two curving forms, connected by a glazed reception link on the ground floor, approached by wide brick steps. The larger volume is called Umeus, while the smaller is called Noli.
Overlooking the planted courtyards on the ground floor is an extensive range of shared spaces including a library, laundry, study area and fitness space, as well as planted rooftop terraces overlooking the city.
For the outward-facing curving facades of Umeus and Noli, the angle of the zigzagging bay windows gradually steepens towards the north, creating an "unfolding" effect that ensures eastern and western light reaches northernmost apartments.
On the opposite side, the narrow ends of each U-shaped block help to break down the scale of the development overlooking a quieter street to the south. Here, a glazed ground floor contains a cafe, bike shop and a grocery store at the base of a standalone cubic volume.
"The building itself curves gently, avoiding the shadowed corners created by 90-degree angles," Foged said. "We like that its organic shape bends and adapts to its surroundings, creating a more open and organic flow."
"On one side, the building's organic form follows the existing urban fabric and is set back from the busy road to create a generous, planted buffer zone," Foged continued.
"On the other, it steps down in height to form smaller point houses that open toward the courtyard and small shops."
Inside, there is a mixture of single, couple, twin and studio units, either overlooking the central courtyards or the road to the north. The majority are organised around communal kitchen areas.
Each of the bay windows is fitted with a large, built-in bench and a grille that facilitates natural ventilation while minimising noise from the road.
EFFEKT was founded in 2007 by Foged alongside Sinus Lynge. Previous projects by the studio include a charging station for electric vehicles in Sønderborg and a treetop walkway that is accessible to "all nature lovers".
The photography is by Samuele Agrimi unless stated otherwise.
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